The common law is a dynamic and exciting legal system which unites millions of people across the world, in such varied cultures as Hong Kong, Singapore, England, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, and across the United States. This course will furnish students with substantive knowledge of Hong Kong law in some core common law subjects, and further develop the skills necessary to engage with the common law tradition more widely. Through the electives, students are given an opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the common law, or complement it with the study of new subjects.

All applicants must fulfill the General Admission Requirements and the English Language Proficiency Requirement prescribed by the University’s Graduate School.

In addition applicants must have:

a qualification to practise law in the jurisdiction of the student's residence; or

a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree or a degree of equivalent standing (normally in a non common law jurisdiction); or

a Bachelor's degree in a non-law subject with substantial law-related working experience.

As many areas of professional activity are related to law, we welcome applications from applicants who work in the areas of commerce, accountancy, social work, public administration, and similar relevant fields.

Applicants whose undergraduate studies were not conducted and assessed in English are required to take an appropriate English language proficiency test and achieve a sufficient score, such as a score of 570 or above in TOEFL (Paper Based Test), 88 or above in TOEFL (Internet-Based Test); Band 6.5 or better in IELTS; or equivalent. The test results must be obtained not more than two years prior to the date of applying to join the LLM Programme.

Duration:

Full-time: one year (normative study period) - two years (maximum study period).

Part-time: two years (normative study period) - three years (maximum study period).

24 units: including 12 units of required courses and 12 units of elective courses. Students should pass all the assessments with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in order to be recommended for graduation.

Required Courses:

Common Law: Origins and Development

Principles of Contract

Principles of Criminal Law

Principles of Tort

Elective Courses

Common Law: Globalization and Convergence

Comparative Constitutional Law

Comparative Legal Traditions

Copyright, Digital Subject Matter and Information Technology

Crime and the Sanctioning Process

Cyberlaw and Intellectual Property: Principles and Practice

Financial Markets: Law and Operation

Global Issues in Law

History, Culture, and the Law

Issues in Tort

Legal Research, Analysis and Writing

Principles of Administrative Law

Principles of Art, Antiquities, Cultural Heritage and the Law

Principles of Equity and Trusts

Principles of Intellectual Property

Principles of Land Law

Principles of Unjust Enrichment

Students who would like to undertake independent research project in an area of significant personal interest may choose Independent Research or Independent Research Dissertation.

The offering of an elective course in any term will depend on teacher availability and sufficient student interest.

There is a shortage of on campus student accommodation for non-local postgraduate students. When relocating to Hong Kong students are advised they will need to rely on (readily-available) private off-campus accommodation during their studies.